Trevi Fountain
During my research, I discovered quite a bit about the Trevi Fountain. The Fontana di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain, in English, is one of the largest and most popular Baroque fountains located in the Quirinale district, specifically Rome’s Piazza di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain Square, in English. The fountain had originally been built in 19 B.C.E., Emperor Agustus I was the one who opened the fountain.In 1443, Pope Nicholas V initiated the reconstruction to Rome, one being the reconstruction of the Trevi Fountain. Gian Lorenzo Bernini Though many artists studied the Baroque art form, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680), is the most notable artist for the form. In a sense, you could call Bernini the "God father" of the Baroque art era. He was one of the most notable artists of that time, and with him being that, he plays a major role in the development of the Trevi Fountain. In 1929, Pope Urban VIII called upon Bernini to come up with a new design for the fountain, claiming that the fountain was too monotonous and with the Baroque art style in high demand, had to have Bernini design it. Though Bernini did in fact create the original designs for the fountain, he unfotunately passed before seeing the completion of his work. Nicola Salvi & Giuseppe Pannini Though Bernini created the original designs for the fountain, Niccola Salvi is held responsible for the design you see today. in 1732, Niccola Salvi was selected as the designer for the Trevi Fountain. Like Bernini though, Salvi died before seeing the completion of the Trevi Fountain. Though he passed, he left a ssuccessor by the name of Giuseppe Pannini to resume the deisgns for the fountain and to complete his work. Pannini was the final artist in the Trevi Fountain design, completely finishing it. The Fountain you see today is deemed responsible by Salvi, but you can also thank Bernini for the original design and Pannini for being responsible for te completion of it. The Story The story behind the Trevi Fountain is coincidentally enough the story of how the fountain itself received its name. The word “Trevi” comes from the Latin word, “Trivium” which is translated as “Highway”. Why would you refer to the fountain as the “Highway Fountain”? As previously mentioned, the fountain is named after the story behind it. As to why it is referred to as “highway”, according to USA Today, the story first begins with a “virgin shepherdess”. She began to present soldiers to a spring when they would inquire about for water. In the fountain, you can see that in the dead center, there stands a statue of the Roman god Neptune, who is the god of the sea. Neptune represents the water that the soldiers seek. The statue on the left is depicted as goddess Abundance, who symbolizes the 19 B.C. son-in-law of the Roman Emperor who approved the plans for an aqueduct; providing water for the Romans. The final statue that you see to the far right is depicted as the Roman god Salubrity, who symbolizes the shepherdess who would show the soldiers to the water that they searched for. The Legend Though the legend of the Trevi Fountain has been depicted in many ways, there is one way that is most apparent and familiar to people. The legend goes that if you are to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome once more. I started this research with that legend in mind but as I further looking into the legend, I came to find out that there is more to it. Yes, the tossing of the coin symbolizes your return to Rome; it is more complex than that. According to Kristen Grey who writes in her academic blog, she states that, “…When making a wish at the Trevi, you must stand with your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your left shoulder…”, Grey then continues that there is also in fact a different meaning to the number of coins you toss into the fountain. You can throw up to three coins into the fountain and each has its own meaning, Grey states. Tossing one coin into the fountain does mean that you will one day return to Rome but there are two other meanings. If you were to toss two coins into the fountain, it means that you will be presented with a new romance in your life. Lastly, if you were to toss three coins into the fountain, it means that you will either marry or divorce your spouse. Coins Were you aware that the coins that are tossed into the Trevi fountain are collected each night? Were you also aware that the coins collected from the Trevi fountain are also donated to charities in Rome? Whilst researching the fountain, I stumbled upon a small article written by Joan Caplin entitled, “''Three Coins in a Fountain''”. Caplin starts off by stating that, “From the Trevi Fountain in Rome (above) to Cinderella’s Moat at Disney World, well-wishers toss more than $1 million a year into fountains”. Who would have thought that a coin that you toss into a fountain will be part of that one million? And, who would have thought that the coin that you toss into the fountain would also go to charity? Caplin continues by writing that a portion of the money collected each day at the fountain go to the Italian Red Cross and the rest goes to the city. Furthering my research, I came across an article written by the BBC which concluded that as of the year 2006, an estimated value of three-thousand Euros is collected each night from the fountain.